Non-aqueous procedures for spent fuel reprocessing

Flowsheets are discussed of non-aqueous reprocessing of spent fuel elements designed for deeply burnt fuel reprocessing from fast reactors. The most attention is paid to fluoride method which includes pyrochemical reactions for decladding and UO2-PuO2 tablet transformation into powdered state during initial operations. Thermal treatment (partial melting) and dissolving in melted zinc or antimony are the most promissing methods in the field of decladding of stainless fuel cans. The problem decladding of zirconium fuel cans is not decided yet. A breeder reactor operating with melted salts of fluoride mixtures is the most promissing reactor. Methods of thorium fuel reprocessing by fluoration and laboratory experiment on uranium chlorination are briefly discussed. However non-aqueous methods of spent fuel element reprocessing do not surpass half-productive scales. Industrial application of non-aqueous processes may be combined with extraction ones. This is expected in the second half of the 80ies